Last Chance to Register to Vote in Drive-Through at Hawaii’s Capitol

Want to vote for or against somebody this year in elections?

Noe de Leon assists Catherine Nearman with voter registration at the Hawaii State Capitol.

Photos: Diane Lee

Tomorrow—July 10—is the deadline to register to vote in the primary election.

And Hawaii state elections officials today and tomorrow are making one last push to get people registered and ease the state out of the sad position of dead last for registering eligible voters in the nation.

Kaimuki resident Catherine Nearman just registered to vote without getting out of her van on July 9, with the help of Hawaii elections assistant Noe de Leon.

“This was a lifesaver,” she says. “I heard it on the radio, so I came by today — perfect! This made it easy, so I didn’t have to jump out of the car.”

Nearman's name had changed after she got married, but she did not update her voter registration until this week.

Registered voters who have changed their name or moved since the last election should re-register before the voter registration deadline.

You can find a registration form in the phone book, at a library or online or you can drive over to the State Capitol or other Neighbor Island locations and state officials will help you get it done today and tomorrow while you sit in your vehicle.

Election officials are holding drive-through voter registration events on July 9 and 10 at various locations.

Here on Oahu, the drive-through service is available from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Hawaii State Capitol facing Beretania Street, near the Damien statue.

You must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Hawaii and at least 18 years old to vote.

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This is HONOLULU Magazine’s take on politics. We know our readers are smart, savvy people who vote. Of course, we’ll follow the issues, the players and the money. But we’ll also keep an eye out for the quirkier stuff: Who’s winning the yard-sign wars, campaign survival tips; and check out the food and the fashion on the campaign trail. The section is edited by HONOLULU Magazine editor Robbie Dingeman, a political junkie who has covered Hawai‘i state, county and federal politics for more than 25 years at two daily newspapers and one television newsroom.

Treena Shapirohas been covering state and county government in Hawai‘i for 15 years, primarily writing about politics and education for two daily newspapers and three wire services. She is now a producer for “Insights on PBS Hawai‘i,” a weekly public affairs program that airs Thursday evenings.More from Treena »